Endoxyla cinereus | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Cossidae |
Genus: | Endoxyla |
Species: | E. cinereus |
Binomial name | |
Endoxyla cinereus (Tepper, 1890) | |
Synonyms | |
|
Endoxyla cinereus, the giant wood moth, is a moth in the family Cossidae. [1] It is found in Australia (Queensland, New South Wales) and New Zealand. [2] The species was first described in 1890. A rare contemporary sighting of the moth at a school in Australia garnered notice as an editor's pick among the daily headlines of the New York Times on May 8, 2021. [3]
It is the heaviest moth in the world; weighing up to 30 g. [4] Its wingspan is approximately 23 cm, or just over nine inches.
The larvae bore into the trunks of trees of the Eucalyptus species. Pupation takes place in the larval tunnel. [5]
The witchetty grub is a term used in Australia for the large, white, wood-eating larvae of several moths. In particular, it applies to the larvae of the cossid moth Endoxyla leucomochla, which feeds on the roots of the witchetty bush that is widespread throughout the Northern Territory and also typically found in parts of Western Australia and South Australia, although it is also found elsewhere throughout Australia.
The Cossidae, the cossid millers or carpenter millers, make up a family of mostly large miller moths. This family contains over 110 genera with almost 700 known species, and many more species await description. Carpenter millers are nocturnal Lepidoptera found worldwide, except the Southeast Asian subfamily Ratardinae, which is mostly active during the day.
Endoxyla is a genus of moths in the family Cossidae and are found in Australia.
Endoxyla amphiplecta is a species of moth of the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Endoxyla columbina is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland and New South Wales.
Endoxyla coscinopa is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Western Australia.
Endoxyla coscinophanes is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Western Australia and South Australia.
Endoxyla dictyoschema is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland and Western Australia.
Endoxyla didymoplaca is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Western Australia.
Endoxyla macleayi is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from New South Wales and southern Queensland.
Endoxyla phaeocosma is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Northern Australia.
Endoxyla polyplecta is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Northern Australia.
Endoxyla punctifimbria is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia.
Endoxyla sordida is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland and Victoria.
Endoxyla tenebrifer is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland.
Endoxyla tigrina is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland.
Endoxyla turneri is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland.
Endoxyla vittata, the orange-lined wood moth, is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Western Australia.
Endoxyla zophoplecta is a moth in the family Cossidae. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Northern Australia and Queensland.